Don't Make a Deal with the Devil
by sapphermine
Summary: After the fight with Satan, Furuichi hoped that his life would finally go back to normal. When Oga was called to help out with a strange situation in Makai, Furuichi thought that whatever was happening there had nothing to do with him. But then a strange demon started following him around and suddenly, he found himself right in the middle of it.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: After the fight with Satan, Furuichi hoped that his life would finally go back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it could get. When Oga was called to help out with a strange situation in Makai, Furuichi thought that whatever was happening there had nothing to do with him. But then a strange demon started following him around and suddenly, he found himself right in the middle of it.

 **Don't Make a Deal with the Devil**  
Chapter 1: Awakening

Clutching his bag tightly to his chest, Furuichi carefully rounded the corner towards his house, praying that no one else would challenge him to become Ishiyama's leader.

Offering a, "Damn you, Oga!" to the skies, Furuichi stealthily tried to get safely back home.

A few days after the fight with Satan, Hecadoth had come to Furuichi and told him to try and hold back on using the tissues for a while. Furuichi had been planning on throwing the tissues away in the first place, so he'd easily agreed. When he asked if there was something else they needed to worry about, Hecadoth shook his head and informed him that it was serious, but more of a nuisance. Apparently, there was a sudden increase in demonic energy and it was causing wild beasts to go berserk; lesser demons were also being driven to insanity, unable to handle the increase in power. It was nothing the other lesser divisions couldn't handle, but due to the immense number of cases, the 34th had to be called out and so would currently be unable to help Furuichi if he called them.

Again, having no plans of ever calling any demons for help in the near future, Furuichi easily agreed, even heaved a huge sigh of relief at that.

And then Oga was called to help out. Apparently, there were more and more cases of demons going insane, more and more beasts that needed to be taken care of, and they needed more manpower to keep the situation under control. Furuichi had no idea what Oga could do to help, as all the oaf could do was fight aggressively, but then again, this was the demon world they were talking about, maybe they killed the berserkers even if they hadn't exactly done anything wrong?

Furuichi shuddered at that. To be killed for something that wasn't even their fault... But! He wasn't going to think about that. Nope! Not him! He was content in the human world. Sure there was a different insanity going on here, with terrorism and bombings and shootings, but better the devil you know, right?

And so it was because of that that he was in this situation.

He was almost tempted to learn how to fight because of those delinquents, but the thought of hurting someone else...

"Well, well, well! Look who I found!"

Furuichi groaned. Was spending a day without getting beaten up too much to ask?!

* * *

Mephisto yawned as he walked around, lazily observing humanity's progress during the time he was asleep.

If he counted it right, then it would have been at least a few hundred years since then. He was so bored at the time that he made a deal with a human. When the human was redeemed by God, Mephisto got so bored again that he went to sleep. Slept for as long and hard as he could. Nothing was worse than being bored. It was definitely worse than being tortured. It definitely felt like death.

Stifling another yawn, Mephisto wondered why he was woken up. Before his plans of eternal sleep, there were many who came to him, offering deal after deal after deal. Most wanted his power- power which was said to be on par with Ajuka Beelzebub III himself who, if the guy hadn't lost interest yet, should still be the current Maou in Makai. But none of the deals they presented were of interest to him. Even humans had come to him during that time but all that shit with selling their soul was so yesterday. He'd already done that with Faust, and look how that ended.

And yet, no one was there at his resting place. So, why was he awake? He was so frustrated at being woken up that he accidentally let loose a wave or two of demonic energy.

So, so boring! Why was everything so boring? Whoever woke him better pay for this.

Suddenly tired, he collapsed on a bench in some park, startling some mothers walking with their kids. He noticed them staring at him, noticed the blushes and whispers and the immediate attraction, but none of that mattered to him anymore. There was a time when he would have tempted them away from their husbands, these weak-willed humans and their attraction to flesh, but the chaos it eventually came to brought no pleasure to him now.

Just as he was thinking of falling asleep on the bench, a sharp gasp caught his attention. Opening his eyes, he saw the mothers walk quickly away, whispering words of contempt among themselves. Looking over at the direction of their ire, he saw a group of teens, noisily gathered around one boy, shoving him back and forth without care and with much malice.

And humans called _his kind_ devils. What was this world turning into?

"Hey, hey Furuchin, not so tough without Oga around, huh?"

"Actually, even with Oga around I have never been tou- _oof_! How dare you! That hurt!"

That comment caused the other boys to laugh at 'Furuchin' (naked dick, really? how unoriginal can they get?). The boy laughed right along with them, causing one of the troublemakers to punch the boy again. This time, the boy doubled over in pain.

Pressing down on the boy with his foot, another one of the delinquents sneered, "Of course it'll hurt, mobichi! Or rather, shouldn't you be used to this by now? You are Oga's bitch, right? He surely hits much harder than us, right? Right?"

Grinding his foot against the boy's head with every question, with the other boys getting more and more violent too, Mephisto was sure the boy would give up on the attitude. Except the boy suddenly stood up, pushing the delinquent off balance and knocking him to the floor.

Pointing an accusing finger at him, the boy said, "Hey you! I don't know what kind of rumors you've heard but I'm no one's bitch! And Oga, despite his violence, would never knowingly hurt a friend! He's more than what you could ever hope to be so stop dreaming of becoming Ishiyama's leader! He'll be back before you kno- _oof_! Hey! Cut it out!"

Getting bored again, Mephisto walked off but not before his and the boy's eyes met. He was surprised when he saw no desperation in the boy's eyes, just grim determination. Despite an adult being there, and despite how weak he was, that boy didn't call for help.

Before he could think more of it though, the boy huffed a laugh, apparently having done something to distract the delinquents, before giving them a cocky salute and running off.

Mephisto found himself chuckling before catching himself in the act. Huh. Well, he was loathed to admit it, but that was _somewhat_ interesting.

* * *

Catching his breath in an alley somewhere hopefully far away from those fools, Furuichi collapsed against the wall and hoped they wouldn't find him.

Honestly, Oga only gave him problems.

"This is all your fault, you dumb ape! I'm barely hanging on here! _Look after Ishiyama for me_ , my ass! You should've told that to Toujou-san, for fuck's sake! Or any of the senpais for that matter!" raising an angry fist at the sky, then thinking better of it because Oga was definitely not in that direction, he directed his fist towards the ground, Furuichi angrily muttered, "You dumb shit fuck ape! I'm not buying croquettes for you when you come back! For one whole week!"

Wondering why this was his life, Furuichi slumped further against the wall, thankful that at least he was mostly still presentable. At least Honoka won't give him the evil eye when he gets back.

Seriously, does no one care for him anymore? Was he doomed to live the life of a mob character forever? Inconsequential, constantly getting the short end of the stick? Or even a stick at all? What's with these sad metaphors anyway?!

Thinking of croquettes though... Gingerly standing up, because damn those punches still hurt no matter how many times he's been hit, he used the wall to support himself. Smiling at his success, he brushed any dirt he could from his uniform, checked if he was bleeding somewhere because that would seriously be bad (not because Lamia wasn't here, but because he _did not want_ Lamia to be here!) before making his way towards their favorite shop.

All thoughts of the fight now gone from his mind, Furuichi was counting his money when he heard the voice of the shop owner yelling angrily at someone. Wondering why the owner was so far away from the store, he wandered over and found the man gripping the arm of some weirdly dressed guy.

A leather jacket over a black shirt, skin tight jeans and boots, this guy could've been an extra on a biker movie or something. Not that he had the body size for it though, or the hair. He had no beard, too! And he was too pretty-faced to be anything but the lead in some romcom or one of those operas!

Besides that, this was the same guy in the park a while ago! The one who sat by and did nothing when he was getting his ass kicked.

Instantly hating the guy on principle, Furuichi seethed as he moved aside, preferring to stay away from this situation.

"But it was all right there outside the store! Displayed for all to see! I thought it was free! I really thought it was free!"

"Free?! After all the love and dedication I put into making those, FREE?! Boy, in what age did you come from? Nothing is for free anymore!"

"Well, that's seriously sad. I've been away for a long, long time you see, so I didn't know. Is an apology not enough anymore?"

Furuichi narrowed his eyes at the guy as he walked past, because even his voice sounded cool even though he was practically begging Old Man Croquette to let him off.

"Of course not!" Old Man Croquette screeched, "Pay for this right now!"

"But I told you, I don't have any money. All I can offer is my body."

Furuichi's eyes bulged at that. Did he seriously hear that?!

"Will a finger suffice? Or a whole hand? I don't know how important this fried thing is, but I'm sure my hand is worth it, yes?"

Having heard enough, Furuichi siddled up towards the two and, before Old Man Croquette could hyperventilate from high blood pressure, Furuichi took the man's free hand and handed him the money. Not entirely knowing what to say, he went with the first thing that came to mind and said, "Hai, hai, nii-san, that's enough! Seriously, you just got back here from... Macau and you're already causing trouble! Oji-san, I'm really sorry about this!"

Old Man Croquette, who Oga had unknowingly helped quite a few times by chasing off other delinquents, looked at him questioningly for a while before remembering who he was. Honestly, was he no one without Oga?!

"Ah, Furuchin, was it?"

Annoyed, Furuichi almost yelled but held back, "It's Furu _ichi_ , oji-san. That's just a stupid nickname from Oga."

"Right, right. Oga Tatsumi. He's a violent type but he's a good boy, that one. You say this is a friend of yours?"

Glancing quickly at the other guy, and shaking his head at him before the guy could say something, Furuichi answered, "No, no, no! He's a friend of Oga's from... Macau. Oga asked me to look after him while he was gone and well... I'm really sorry, oji-san. He isn't used to Japanese culture yet."

"Hmph, well, see to it that you take better care of Oga's friend," letting the guy's hand go, Old Man Croquette finally turned away, but not before giving Furuichi a disapproving glare.

Utterly defeated, Furuichi smiled strainedly back, then bowed slightly in thanks. He sighed tiredly, releasing any negative thoughts, before turning to Leather Jacket-san.

Leather Jacket-san, who was looking at him much too intensely than what's normal.

"Errr," Furuichi started. Then he cleared his throat, gathered back his courage and said, "Look here, idiot Leather Jacket-san!" Furuchi never had any problems insulting complete strangers; it was rude, but he never did it on those who didn't deserve it! "You better behave after this! Seriously, stealing in broad daylight! And here!" he said, pushing the rest of his allowance for the day to the other guy, "If you don't have money, this should be enough to get you home."

Walking away, Furuichi turned back one more time and said, "No more stealing, you hear me! And go back home!"

Completely drained, Furuichi didn't notice the guy follow him, his thoughts already focused on his unfinished JUMP manga at home.

* * *

Deciding to follow the boy purely on impulse, Mephisto was following behind for a while now, but the boy hadn't noticed his presence even once. Sighing in boredom, Mephisto gathered demonic energy towards him and teleported himself a few streets down. It was a complete waste of energy, but who was watching? Snickering to himself in anticipation, he waited for the boy to pass through.

He waited. And he waited. Before he realized it was taking way too long.

Glancing at the corner, he was surprised when his eyes met the boy's quickly widening ones, caught in the act of sneaking away from him. The boy ran around a corner some few streets down, before he was out of Mephisto's sight.

Huffing out an amused laugh, Mephisto gathered more demonic energy, used it to sense the boy's presence, then teleported himself ahead of the boy. With a raised brow he sensed that the boy quickly changed direction, as if knowing exactly where he was.

Getting more and more curious, Mephisto kept on moving, not really caring where he landed so long as it was near the boy. He laughed as the boy got more and more agitated, the expression on his face way too amusing to ignore. Finally the boy snapped as he yelled, "Cut it out already! What the hell do you want from me?!"

Appearing behind a pole near the boy, the boy jumped in surprise, his whole body tense and ready for a fight. Or rather, flight, as evidenced by the situation at the park a while ago. O great maou in hell, had it been just a while ago? Time had never passed so quickly for him for centuries now.

Warily looking at him, the boy stuttered, "O-oi, a-a-are you one of those de-demons affected by the minus wave- ah, shit, wrong story. I mean, by the increase in demonic energy lately? You're going insane from it, right? Actually, how would you know if you were insane? And actually, why the hell am asking you! God, this sucks! Why do you guys keep bothering me!"

"'You guys'?" Mephisto asked, curious, "You mean you've met others like me? Do you know what I am?"

The boy flinched at his apparent blunder, before he pursed his lips, tensed up even more as his eyes kept roaming around, probably trying to find a way to escape.

Not willing to let go of his new toy just yet, Mephisto tried to look as unassuming as possible as he reassured the boy, "Hey, for your information, I am definitely not insane. At least, the last time I checked, which was a couple of hundred years ago, so who knows? Standards keep on changing anyway. And would you stop looking as if I'm about to kill you? Because I'm not, okay? I just wanted to ask stuff, that's all!"

Having been awake for a few weeks now, Mephisto had learned all the new words and nuances of humanity's language. He was so thankful humans have left all the 'de gozarus' behind!

The boy stared at him for a while more, then he sighed, resigned, probably assuming that it didn't matter if he said no. Mephisto grinned in approval, because the boy was completely right.

"F-fine," he said, trying to sound confident but failing spectacularly, "But only if I get to ask questions in return!"

Eyes lighting up in amusement, Mephisto easily agreed, "Then let's make a deal! One answer for one question. Then I'll star-,"

"Hold up! Wait wait wait wait! I'm not agreeing to something so vague like that! The answer needs to be satisfying enough. And no 'yes' or 'no' answers! I want details, details! And just three questions each, then we'll decide if we want to ask more. You can't force me if I don't want to continue either! Or manipulate me to agree with you! I still have school tomorrow, I need to sleep!"

Chuckling once again in amusement, seriously this boy was hilarious, and clever to boot!, Mephisto nodded, "Okay, okay, I can agree to that. You really have met my kind before, haven't you?"

"Yes, I have; multiple times. Met so many I at least know what you're capable of," smirking at Mephisto, the boy declared, "That was your first question! My turn!"

Laughing out loud, who ever heard of a human getting an upper hand over the devil?!- well except that stupid Faust anyway, before he reached out, grabbed the boy's collar and whisked them off to a more comfortable place.

Dumping the boy unceremoniously, watching with a sheepish smile as the boy heaved from the sudden transfer (he'd honestly forgotten how fragile humans were!), Mephisto patted the boy's back comfortingly as he said, "Okay, okay, it'll pass. Go on and ask your question once you're settled."

Truly, he should be a saint for his patience!

Panting from the effort and the nausea, the boy's eyes bulged when he realized where they were.

"Holy shit! Are we in-," catching himself, the boy clamed his mouth shut so fast he must have nearly bit his tongue off. Unable to stop himself from teasing the boy, Mephistoh hedged, "Are we in...?"

Space. Mephisto had taken them to outer space. It was quiet there, peaceful. And Earth was as beatiful as ever.

"S-shut up! I wasn't done! There wasn't even a question mark there yet!"

"Sure, sure, so? Your question?"

Except the boy wasn't paying attention to him anymore. His eyes were riveted to the scenery in front of him, marveling at beauty of space and of the Earth he was living in.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Earth? Makes you wonder why humans deserve to live in a place like this, if you only destroy every single thing in your sight. I, for one, would be sad to see this go."

The boy looked at him then, and for that moment, Mephisto knew the boy had realized he was no ordinary demon. Looking at him with the same intensity he had when he fought against those boys in the park, the boy asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Mephisto," he happily answered, "One of the great demon lords in Hell."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** After the fight with Satan, Furuichi hoped that his life would finally go back to normal. Or at least, as normal as it could get. When Oga was called to help out with a strange situation in Makai, Furuichi thought that whatever was happening there had nothing to do with him. But then a strange demon started following him around and suddenly, he found himself right in the middle of it.

 **Disclaimer:** Nope. Characters are not mine.

* * *

 **Don't Make a Deal with the Devil**  
Chapter 2: Question and Answer

"Pffft! 'Great Demon Lord', my ass! There's only one Great Demon Lord in Hell! Don't take me for a fool!"

Deciding not to waste time correcting the kid, because he really was a demon lord, not _the_ Great Demon Lord, no that was Ajuka, but a demon lord still. He'd added the 'great' just to intimidate the kid, but look how that ended up. Shrugging nonchalantly, trying to cover up his embarrassment, Mephisto said, "Whatever. My turn now."

Immediately the boy tensed, his eyes narrowing in preparation. Mephisto nearly snorted in response. Seriously, this boy's reactions were top-notch entertainment!

Humming in thought for a moment, Mephisto considered how to phrase his question. In all honesty, he was just curious about the boy. He'd lived for a long time but he'd never met anyone quite like him before. "You recognized me as that guy in the park; I saw the resentment your eyes when you saw me, don't deny it! But then you helped me out anyway. Why?"

The boy blinked for a second, before tilting his head in confusion, "...because you were annoying?"

"Not satisfied! Try again."

"Urgh," the boy complained, rolling his eyes in annoyance, "Honestly? I don't know myself! Only, you looked so bored when you looked at me and you looked as if you wanted to really, really get out of there. I've been in situations like that myself so I know how it feels and I know the feeling of begging complete strangers to help you out. I knew what it felt like, and I knew I could get you out. I could do it. So I did."

"That answer is even more annoying."

"Well it's the only answer there is so deal with it! My turn!" glaring at Mephisto, the boy asked, "Why are you here in the human world?"

Mephisto shrugged, then thought about it and teased, "I have plans here. Big plans. Amazing plans."

"...what kind of plans?" the boy asked warily.

Mephisto nearly snickered in response. "Nope! One question, one answer. That was our deal." And the boy never said anything about not lying either. Mephisto grinned, as the truth was he had no idea himself. He was so bored staying in Makai that he just decided to see how humans have changed. He had no plans other than roaming around at all. And then he met this boy, who looked like he was a cowering coward but wasn't. This boy who should have felt vindicated when he saw him in trouble and shouldn't have helped him out, but did anyway.

"Then, your last question?"

Mephisto laughed, completely taken in by how serious the boy was treating this. So, grinning at the intense look on the boy's face, he asked without preamble, "What's your name?"

The boy's eyes widened surprise, then he frowned as he asked, "Seriously? That's your last question?"

"Fufufu, you were the only one treating this like it was life and death! And that wasn't an answer! You name, name!"

"Uh..."

"Or would you prefer to be called 'Furuchin' instead?"

"Stop that! It's Furuichi! Furuichi Takayuki!"

Mephisto nodded to himself, finally understanding where 'Furuchin' came from.

"Okay, weirdo. My last question then. Are you going to cause trouble in the human world?"

Deciding to tell the truth this time, Mephisto replied, "No," but then he added, "If I get bored enough, I might start destroying a city or two..."

Eyes wide with disbelief, Furuichi spluttered, "For real? Just for that you'll start killing people?! I thought you said you weren't insane? Because that seriously is so fucked up!"

"What is?" Mephisto asked, unconcerned, "You humans are like roaches anyway. No matter how many times humanity is destroyed, no matter how many attempts are made, you all rise up again a few years later. I did it once before, and see, you don't even remember it anymore. Destroying a country or two won't matter in the long run so what's the big deal? You'll all forget about it anyway."

" _What's the big deal?_ " Furuichi repeated, eyeing him in disbelief, "Do you really have to ask that? Sure it won't matter in the long run, because people do have an amazing ability to forget, but it'll mean quite a lot to people living _now_."

"Even if they're people you don't know?"

"Of course!"

"How about those kids beating your ass in the park?"

Furuichi looked hesitant then, but Mephisto was surprised when he said, "It'll feel good at first but then I'll feel guilty later so... I mean, it's not like I'm selfless or anything. I've no shame saying I'm far from it. It's just, I'm already called a ton of insulting names, I don't wanna add 'hypocrite' or 'heartless' to the list, too. Because sure they're idiots who probably need some ass kicking but they're also human; they've got friends too and people who think they're important. _I_ don't want my friends to get hurt, so why should I hurt someone else when they've got friends who don't want them to get hurt either? Didja get it?"

Mephisto frowned. He didn't. Not one bit of it.

But it sure was interesting.

Looking at the boy thoughtfully, Mephisto smiled and then without warning brought both of them back to Earth.

* * *

 **XXX**

* * *

Holding a hand over his mouth, Furuichi staggered towards the drainage and retched.

Wiping the spit on his mouth and chin with the collar of his shirt, which was gross but what can he do, he staggered back towards the demon and pointed an accusing finger at him, "You. I hate you. _Ugh_. I am never going to complain about that Old Man ever again!"

Smiling innocently at him, the demon merely shrugged in response, "You'll get used to it sooner or later."

"Um, no. I'd really rather not."

Looking around, it took Furuichi a while to get his bearings back. Still staggering, he moved towards the direction of his house, probably, but not before glaring at the demon and saying a curt, "Good. Bye."

He hadn't even taken a step forward when Mephisto asked him, "Is this it? You're just gonna leave me alone?"

Not bothering to turn back, even starting to walk back home, Furuichi waved a dismissive hand in the air when he replied, "As long as you're not gonna cause trouble, then it's fine, right? And I'm pretty sure you'll find something to interest you sooner or later, so I'm not really worried about you getting bored."

"Then let's make it a deal."

Furuichi abruptly stopped, and with a horrified expression, looked back at the demon and said, "Hell no."

"Why not? What will you do if I do start destroying the world?"

Furuichi frowned. That goes without saying, "I'll stop you, of course!"

All of a sudden, Mephisto's aura changed. His eyes began to glow, his body seemed to grow bigger, and the area around them started to get darker and darker, as if a shadow was looming above. He was menacing now, as opposed to the mischievous air he had before. If Furuichi hadn't realized that he was dealing with a powerful demon before, he surely would have now.

As if coming from all sides, Mephisto's voice boomed, "Will you fight me then? Kill me to stop me from destroying the world?"

Anyone else without the power to fight demons would have turned tail and ran, but Furuichi had been in enough situations like this that he could still somewhat keep his wits about him. In any case, Furuichi's answer could only be this, "Uuuh, I'm actually pretty weak so... no. Not gonna fight you. The thought hadn't even occurred to me! I mean, we can still talk this out, right? I'm sure I'll be able to find something to interest you. Even though I'm an all-around useless guy, and no one really depends on me for huge shit like the fate of the world, I'm sure I can at least try. There isn't anything I can do but try." And he wasn't going to drag Oga into this either. Or anyone else for that matter. He was already burden enough after all.

Just as he was hoping though, Mephisto reverted back to his previous self but the grin on the demon's face raised Furuichi's hackles, "What. The hell? You're playing around with me, aren't you! Hey, this isn't funny at all!"

"Of course it isn't," Mephisto agreed, "I'm so bored most days that I want to die. But I can't. The demonic energy within me heals me so fast I don't even feel most injuries. I've lived for so, so long nothing interests me anymore," laughing sardonically, he continued "If you think about it, it's not much different from being dead, isn't it?"

"Urrrgh," Furuichi started, flinching away from Mephisto, "You're not gonna sway me with that! Nope! Not gonna sympathize with you, nope! Not me! Definitely not!"

Turning resolutely away, Furuichi said, "I'm sure you can find someone better than me! So, bye!"

"Furuichi, make this deal with me right now!" Mephisto yelled at him.

"No way! I'm sure there's something out there that can interest you, but I'm also pretty sure you won't find it with me! Look for someone else!"

"Fu. Ru. I. Chi," Furuichi heard the demon say, "You will make this deal with me right now or I'll raze Ishiyama to the ground!"

Upon saying that, the ground beneath Furuichi quaked, the houses around him began to shake and cracks started appearing across the road. Fighting to keep his balance, Furuichi turned around to face the demon and yelled, "All right already! Geeze! Will you stop with the theatrics?! You're even worse than Baby Beel without his milk!"

Mephisto teleported before him almost immediately, and without preamble, laid the terms, "In 3 days find me something interesting, and then I'll never think of destroying humankind."

"That's way too short! Make it longer!"

"But I like threes... Then, 3 weeks."

"3 years!" Furuichi interjected, but at the demon's glare, he meekly asked, "3 months?"

"Done. 3 months it is. In 3 months, find me something interesting."

"And if I don't, we'll see if we can extend it, yes? We agreed on something like this a while ago!"

"Fine. We'll add in an extension clause."

"And that you won't fake boredom!"

"And that I won't fake boredom," the demon agreed, smiling, "Then we're done?"

Looking horrified, Furuichi cried, "Ohgodohgodohgod, I can't believe this is happening!"

Conjuring an actual document from thin air, Mephisto had the gall to laugh, "Sorry, kid. God can hear you, but he leaves everything up to you. That's what you get for having free will and all. So," he said with much too glee, "Time for signing!"

Grabbing Furuichi's hand, the demon took his thumb and opened a small cut with his suddenly sharpened nails. After doing the same thing on his own, he turned to Furuichi and explained, "Press your thumb at the paper and we're done."

"But there isn't anything on the paper! I'm supposed to read before signing, right?!"

Mephisto looked at him unamusedly before saying, "Do it. Before I make you."

Furuichi dutifully pressed his thumb on the paper.

"Great! I'll see you around then. Call me if you find something! Bye!"

And just like that the demon left him alone.

Smacking himself hard on the face, Furuichi complained, "Takayuki, you have the worst luck ever!"

* * *

 **XXX**

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in Makai...**

Oga was trying not to fall asleep as one of the Maou's advisers prattled on and on and on about the current situation in Makai.

It wasn't as if the information wasn't important. Oga understood that whatever was happening here was still continuing to spread, and if not taken care of, could potentially spill over to the human world. But no matter how important it was, sitting around listening like this bored Oga out of his mind.

For the nth time since he'd come to Makai, he wished he was at home playing video games with his best friend or goofing off like always. He was never going to admit it, but he missed Furuichi.

Slumping further into his chair, Oga tried to stifle his yawn but failed. At the corner of his eye, he saw Fuji beside him trying to do the same. He snickered, drawing attention from Akahoshi, who was equally bored.

"'s nearly over now," the other contractor whispered to Oga, "I hope."

"My butt's seriously asleep, guys," Nasu said loudly, without caring who heard him, "This is taking way too long."

"And unnecessary," Akahoshi added, "They could have just said, 'we know nothing new' and get it over and done with."

Takamiya nodded in agreement.

Though his current companions were once his enemies, after the whole fiasco with Fuji, things had calmed down enough that they all had come to some sort of understanding. Except for a few things, that is. Oga would be the first to admit that he still held some animosity towards Takamiya. Though the threat Fuji posed was greater, that entire situation was dealt with without too much hassle. With Takamiya on the other hand... Just the fact that Furuichi would go uncharacteristically silent when in the same room as the other teen spoke volumes for Oga.

In any case, Oga was stronger now. And everyone else knew that. He and Beel and undergone quite the drama and came out even stronger than before. If these idiots ever tried to pull off the same stunt as before, he and Beel would be more than ready for anything.

Just when he was thinking of walking out of the room screw the consequences, a servant suddenly ran inside, barreling through the Pillars to get to the dais without care. While some were loudly protesting about the demon servant's rudeness, some of the more sensible ones had noticed the horrified expression on the demon's face and kept silent, watching, waiting.

As the contractor to the Maou's son, Oga and his companions were seated right at the front, and so was able to see how the aide's expression changed from annoyance, to confusion then finally to horrified realization as the servant whispered urgently whatever news he had to him. There was silence between them as the room gradually became silent as well, the demons from all Pillars beginning to notice the strange exchange.

Oga sat straighter as he watched the two, his sudden movement nudging Beel awake. Clinging as usual on his back, Beel drowsily said, "Dabuh?"

Quickly shushing the baby, Oga whispered, "Quiet now, Beel. It looks like shit's about to go down."

"Ai!" the baby responded excitedly, as if he understood.

When the aide turned to the crowd, however, it wasn't to give information, but a dismissal instead. A lot of protests were raised afterwards, Oga and the rest of the Sins joining in the fray, but the aide was adamant. The aide offered no information other than the Lords were meeting about at the moment and that all Pillar Leaders were expected to follow suit.

Oga watched as a few individuals stood up, making a procession towards the huge double door. Among them, he could clearly see both Behemoth and Jabberwock, for they were at the very front of the Pillar Leaders, a testament to their strength and the respect afforded to them by the rest.

He'd once confronted the 34th Pillar the two were leading, but till now Oga suspected that the outcome would have turned out vastly different if the two hadn't underestimated him and his friends.

Once the Leaders left the hall, the rest of the Pillars followed suit. Without need of prompting, Oga made his way out of the hall and quickly called for Alaindelon. Oga was nearly through when the Sins hurried over to him, calling him names for forgetting them, before they too followed him back to the Maou's mansion where they were all temporarily staying.

Still ignoring the grumbling behind him, Oga left the others, intent on sleeping the rest of the day away in his quarters (or more correctly, Beel's). He wasn't surprised to see Hilda there, nonchalantly preparing Beel's milk.

The tension on her shoulders was something unusual, however.

Raising his brows at her in question, Oga entered the room and closed the door behind him. He sat on the bed across from her, his eyes never leaving the demon maid.

Hilda did not disappoint, "It seems that we may be going back to the Human world earlier than expected."

"What happened?" Oga asked, surprised, "Is it spreading there now?"

"No," the demon maid answered as she shook her head, "But the probability is high. That is not the reason why we may go back, however."

Oga frowned, "Ooookay, so what is it?"

"As you should know, there were teams sent to investigate the cause of the surge, yes?"

Oga didn't, but he nodded anyway.

"I know you won't retain this knowledge, but there are many possible causes for the surge. This situation is rare but most demons expect to experience this at least twice in his or her lifetime. I, myself, have experienced this once before, during one of your World Wars. Any disturbance of the balance in our worlds could cause this: war, the Heavenly Hosts killing too much of us, or vice versa. However, there are individuals that are powerful enough to cause such a disturbance by himself. One of the teams that came back a while ago was sent to investigate one such individual. However, only one of them returned."

"So you have your culprit now? Is that why we can go home?"

Hilda shook her head, "No, because we're still not sure. The only information we got from the member that returned before he succumbed to his injuries was a name: Belial. And though Belial is powerful, he wasn't the demon this team was sent to investigate nor is he capable of causing the surge by himself. However, he does pose a threat as he'd once led a rebellion against Ajuka-sama and nearly won."

"Uh, you know," Oga said, scratching at the back of his head, "If you could start at the beginning and make it more simple... Grrrr, I'm no good at this! Just bring Furuichi here already! I'm sure he'll understand this better than I'll ever do. But _don't_ _you ever_ tell him I said that!"

Hilda scoffed in response, "It's fine. I already know you won't remember any of this."

"I do so remember! At least the important bits!"

Dismissing Oga's complaints, Hilda summarized, "The bottom line is this: The demon lord that team was sent to investigate has been lying low for thousands of years now but the fact remains that this demon lord's power could rival that of our current Maou's. In the past, this demon lord has been known to heed the whims of anyone as long as it's _interesting_. If Belail was there to offer him a deal and he accepted..."

"Something... bad will happen?"

Hilda shook her head. Looking gravely at Oga, she said, "It would be far worse than that. Mephistopheles-sama doesn't care how much destruction he causes. It could mean the end of both our worlds."

Oga and Hilda looked at each other, and even Beel had stopped drinking his milk, as if overwhelmed by the situation. Then Oga broke the moment by yawning loudly.

"Well, okay then. Time to sleep!"

"Huh? Wait, what? You're just going to sleep after hearing all that?"

Oga shrugged, "Nothing I can do about it, can I? If that Pheles guy attacks, then I'll fight him like usual. If I lose, then I lose. If I win, then it's all good. What's there to worry about?"

"How about the fact that you could _die_?"

"Good point," Oga nodded as he pulled the covers off of the bed then slid himself in, "But I don't need to think about that right now, do I?"

Hilda looked on at Oga, speechless.

"Besides, it's been weeks since all of this started. If Pheles was going to attack us, then shouldn't he have done that already? Maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all."

"Oh you poor mortal of feeble mind, how envious I am of your simplicity!"

"...I know that was an insult. Shut up! Beel wants to sleep, see?" Oga said, pointing at Baby Beel who was already snuggling. With Hilda already melting at the sight, all thoughts of demon lords gone from her mind, Oga finally closed his eyes to sleep.

The news was worrying, true. Oga already knew that the Maou's strength was leagues away from his own. A guy showing up with just as much strength was indeed, very troubling. In any case, as long as the demon lord stays in Makai, things should still be fine.

Right?

* * *

 **XXX**

* * *

 **Back in the human world...**

"Uh," Furuichi started nervously, "I thought I had three months?"

Mephistopheles nodded, the smile on his face nearly feral, "You do! That's what we agreed on! But it doesn't hurt to have a head start, right? Right?"

"...but it's nearly midnight right now. And I have school tomorrow, so."

"So?" the demon lord repeated, the expression on his face turning darker and darker by the second, "You can sleep when you're dead."

 _aklsdjklajsdlkajdkljasd!_ was all Furuichi could think of. Why in the world does he always get stuck with the crazy ones?! If he hadn't met Oga... Actually, his life got seriously screwed right after he met Oga! Even though it wasn't his friend's fault, Furuichi wanted to kick his ass for this anyway!

"Oo-okay. Okay. Um," he said, looking around his room for _anything_ to spare his life, "Erm... a game, maybe? That's right!" he brightened up, remembering how Mephisto had been asleep for thousands of years now, "Let's play a game! I've got lots of consoles and lots of games we could try. I'm s-sure, I'm sure there's one that would interest you!"

Finally, the demon lord's face cleared, "Great! So let's play, Furuichi!"

* * *

 **tbc**

* * *

 **A/N:** Furuichi is screwed, but we like that, don't we? Also, I haven't been able to put it in the story but Mephisto, in my head, is at least a head taller than Furuichi and looks as if he's in his late 20s. He's lithe, but the muscles are there. He's also, for some reason, a red head, his hair reaching just below his chin, with golden colored eyes. In other words, a really handsome young man.

 **To** Mikazuki Mitsukai, Devlin Dracul, mary-animeangel and dead. but. true, thank you so much for the reviews! You guys rock!


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